Sinker felt like he was being left out of the loop. Commander Foreas had been unusually quiet and contemplative ever since the LAAT/i had left them at the port. They were going to travel as immigrants, making a few stops along the way in their path to Ord Anlata. He knew she and his brother Art were hiding something not only because of his Commander's behavior, but also because Art had a tendency to babble on and on when he wanted to cover up for someone. Not that any of this was his business, he wasn't stupid, Wolffe had come to him for advice the night before and Art had always been Commander Foreas' closest confidante. But curiosity ate at him, it was one of his biggest flaws as a trooper: curiosity got you killed. But he figured that if Art wasn't freaking out then it was nothing that would put their lives or mission at risk, so he could let it be for a while.

He honestly couldn't blame Wolffe for becoming involved with Kriari, their commander had been the first non-Kaminoan female they had ever met, and she wasn't an unattractive one at that. She was sensible and knew both her strengths and weaknesses and how to use them to their benefit. She knew clones had more military knowledge than she had and was wise enough to let them take the lead when her own knowledge was insufficient. And most important of all: she cared. Kriari Foreas was both loved and respected in the 104th attack battalion because she treated her troopers like men. She knew everyone's names, or at least most of them, she had risked her life for theirs repeatedly and she made sure to mingle and bond with them when off duty to keep tabs on everyone.

No, Sinker couldn't blame Wolffe, and neither could the rest of their brothers. That's why their situation was the best kept secret of the 104th, the entire battalion would die before jeopardizing their lives and careers, even if some of the newer recruits were more prone to complaining about the unfairness of it all. In a corps so big, the only female aboard did not go unnoticed. Sinker had been forced to beat some respect into a few shinies himself.

Commander Foreas was a good commander, he respected her and he would even go as far as to say he was fond of her. But he would not deny the situation had him a little on edge, they were about to go undercover with no reinforcements for an unknown amount of time, tension generated by secrets was always bad news in a squad so small. He promised himself he would confront the Commander about it when he felt it was safe to do so, for the time being he would try his damned hardest not to look like the well bred soldier he was.

"I Promise. I will tear the galaxy apart to find you, Kriari. You will have to. I Promise." The words played inside her head like a broken holomessage. He promised he would tear the galaxy apart. She believed him, every word. The feeling of his lips on her palm followed by the soft and rough texture of his unshaven but well moisturized cheek still tingling on the surface of her right palm.

"I promise, Kriari."

She hardly remembered exhaling or had it been a sigh? She only remembered Wolffe's face, the way it felt, the look in his eyes, the simple truth and conviction behind his words. He had put their foreheads together after, she hadn't known it then but Art had told her what the gesture had meant. She blushed at the memory, she really needed to read up on Mandalorian culture.

No.

She was letting herself get caught in something that could be the end of her. Before, she had believed attachment, love, was supposed to make you stronger, that if one found a way to channell and communicate their emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms, then it would all be okay. Khorm had made her doubt that, doubt herself. But she never doubted him, not for a second. She knew Wolffe was just as capable of pain and destruction as she was, even more so perhaps, and he had confirmed that, hell he had promised it.

And yet amongst all the fear and all the doubt the only thing still grounding her was him. It appeared Wolffe felt similarly. It was funny really, how all the signs had been there in the Force around Wolffe and his interactions with her and still she had mistook it for respect. She had even gone as far as to say a dramatic farewell in case she didn't see him again and had taken his lack of response for discomfort.

She was pretty dense if she said so herself.

If she ever doubted his feelings for her again, she need only remember the man had broken all protocol to promise her he would burn down the galaxy if she didn't return and had even gone as far as to give her a kiss. Granted, a Mandalorian kiss, but a kiss nonetheless.

Her first kiss.

She blushed again. Oh Force help her, she had a mission to do and all she could think of was him, she wouldn't even be able to distract herself because -even though they were very different people- her two companions shared the same exact face as Wolffe.

She needed to pull herself together and she needed to do it fast, or the mission would go downhill very quickly. And she couldn't, she wouldn't endanger Sinker and Art's lives because she couldn't put her silly crush aside for the duration of the mission. She really hoped Wolffe was doing a better job than she was or the 104th would have the record for stupidest Commanders of the GAR.

Art was having the time of his life. When Kriari had pulled him aside first thing in the morning to talk he hadn't expected such juicy intel. He had to hand it to Wolffe, the man had balls. Going to her quarters past lights out? Promising burning the fucking galaxy to find her? Hell, he even kissed her! Oh yeah his vod had it bad, not that the entire battalion didn't know it already, of course they did. Wolffe's hard glares and clipped tone every time some shiny went too near her were proof enough, but this? Oh Art was going to win the bet and have his brothers take all his turns for laundry duty until the war ended.

Kriari's clear lack of experience and bewilderment was also both funny and concerning to him in equal measure. He planned on teasing the blush right out of her, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't been angry when he found out Kriari had no Idea she had been kissed. He understood the impulse in the heat of the moment but his brother should have known better. The only thing that saved Wolffe the lecture was Kriari's response when he told her what had happened.

Had she shown any sign of discomfort he would have hunted Wolffe down and beat his ass black and blue. Being close to someone did not mean consent wasn't necessary, he'd make sure to make him understand that when they returned. For the time being, Art would make it his mission in life to school Kriari in the art of placing boundaries, and maybe give her the Talk because he had a feeling Jedi didn't have sex ed classes in the temple.

He knew his friend wasn't completely oblivious, they had talked about this stuff and even joked about it before, but he'd be damned if he let her go into a secret relationship knowing jack shit about men and their rather primitive ways. Clones especially were one of the people with the highest libido he had ever met, he would know, he was one of them after all. No, Art would not let Kriari walk into this blind, for her sake and his brother's.

"Thank you for your time, Commander. Take a seat, I will be there shortly with some tea."

Jedi Master Plo Koon did not need to reach out to the Force to feel Wolffe's unease. In his book, that was a good thing, an intelligent man, a good soldier needed to listen to his intuition. Wolffe had much to be uneasy for. Plo Koon was not blind, in fact he considered himself competently observant. That and his Padawan had been confiding in him for far too long. He felt no guilt in hiding her predicament from the Jedi Council, he too had felt the prohibition of attachment was giving into the fear of the dark side instead of facing it. So he had kept quiet.

But Wolffe was no Jedi, and he was no ordinary man either, and this presented innumerable opportunities for failure, not by any fault of his, of course. The differences in cultures, upbringings and personalities could pose interesting challenges to both Kriari and Wolffe, and, as a parental figure to both, Plo felt it was time to make something of an intervention.

"It is of my understanding that your relationship with my apprentice is progressing quite rapidly," he said setting both cups of steaming tea on his quarters' small work table. "And please save yourself the excuses commander we are both grown men and can have a civilized conversation about this."

He didn't like beating around the bush, it wasted time and effort, and the matter at hand needed to be resolved.

"I am not going to forbid it. I am getting old and even if I have kept my vows all these years, I still consider Kriari and you my children and I only want what is best for you both. So I think it is wise to let you in on some things about the Jedi and about Kriari specifically that you will need to understand going forward."

The Jedi Master felt the Force shift around Wolffe. He was suddenly very aware of the effect of his words on the man. The amount of unconditional love and loyalty that filled the space between them almost brought tears to his eyes. But he centered himself once more, this talk was necessary.

Even if he knew Wolffe had given up on celibacy long ago, this talk was a little different because circumstances were different and the man in front of him needed to know what he was getting himself into. Jedi morals were, by nature, in complete contrast with a soldiers', not only that but Wolffe had not seen Kriari at Khorm. The picture Sketcher had painted was not a pretty one, and Plo needed Wolffe to understand what was at risk.

"For every relationship to work, there needs to be clear boundaries, compassion, patience, and good communication. You will find the last two are especially true in your situation. I do realize it may be a little too early to speak of love, but the care and affection you two have for eachother is clear.

Kriari is not only a Commander, a soldier and a Jedi, not only a Zabrak and a Tusken, she is also a woman, as many of the new members of our battalion notice." The jab was not meant at anyone in particular, he just needed Wolffe to understand that Kriari was't simply just a woman. "You will have to accept that the way men perceive her is very different from the way she perceives herself, you have to be open to guidance in this matter as she will have to accept she knows very little about how clones perceive yourselves."

Wolffe might have been sitting, but he was very much at attention, looking at his General's face and taking in every word. So far, he had said nothing.

"The way you build bridges is by communicating and being open with each other. You will also struggle to separate your relationship from the war effort and your places in it, make sure you do not let your relationship get in the way of your duty. This applies to you both. Kriari does not get to avenge you if you die and you don't get to either. We all have a part to play in this universe."

That didn't sit well with his Commander, he knew it wouldn't. Wolffe was fierce as Kriari was loyal, and Plo was certain that, given the chance, the clone would show the galaxy the meaning of vengeance would something happen to Kriari. He was not the only one.

They stayed there until late in the night, Wolffe had built up the courage to ask questions and ended up actually relaxing and enjoying their time together. General Plo Koon, Jedi Master and father of two, decided he needed to do this more often.